Strip embossing implement having enclosed dies and sliding embossing contact



March 8, 1966 B. E. BOGEAUS 3,239,048

STRIP EMBOSSING IMPLEMENT HAVING ENCLOSED DIES AND SLIDING EMBOSSING CONTACT Filed Feb. 24, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. BENEDICT E. BOGEAUS ATTOR N EYS March 8, 1966 B BOGEAU 3,239,048

STRIP EMBOSSING I MPLEMENT HAVING ENCLOSED DIES AND SLIDING EMBOSSING CONTACT Filed Feb. 24, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG-5 e 5 a I 26 25 62 a (31 5s ';'1l 2 1!/\ g INVENTOR. BENEDICT E. BOGEAUS ATTORNEYS United States Patent STRIP EMBOSSING IMPLEMENT HAVING EN- CLOSED DIES AND SLIDING EMBOSSING CON- TACT Benedict Earl Bogeaus, 10350 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif. Filed Feb. 24, 1964, Ser. No. 347,088 Claims. (Cl. 197-6.7)

This invention relates generally to embossing implements and more particularly to hand operated embossing machines particularly adapted for embossing strip material.

Hand operated embossing implements particularly adapted for embossing strip materials such as plastic, metal, or other type tape are well known in the prior art. Such prior art machines utilize a die-wheel which is disposed perpendicularly to the remainder of the embrossing machine for embossing desired characters into the plastic or other type tape. As a result of this particular disposition of the die-wheel, a rather clumsy looking apparatus is provided thus detracting aesthetically from the appearance of such prior art embossing implements and at the same time requiring additional space for storage, packaging and handling of the implement both by the manufacturer and the user.

Die-wheels afiixed to prior art machines as above pointed out also are exposed to the atmosphere and thus are susceptible to having foreign matter of various types become lodged within the die-wheel elements thus precluding proper operation of the machine.

It has also been discovered that in certain operations and localities it is desirable to utilize an embossing diewheel having a much greater number of characters than normally is required, Under such conditions it is necessary to increase the diameter of the die-wheel. When utilizing prior art machines and in attempting to accomplish this, it detracts from the efficiency of the operation of the embossing machine and aggravates the problems above referred to.

In many instances with prior art hand operated embossing implements it has been discovered that the appearance of the characters are formed within the strip material, such as the plastic metal or other type tape, normally used with such machines varies from character to character and from embossing operation to embossing operation. Such variation depends upon a number of factors primary among which is the operator. For example, the impression formed within the strip material with prior art implements can be caused to vary by changing such things as the amount of force applied by the operator to the implement or the manner in which the force is applied. Obviously the non-uniformity of the characters which are embossed within the tape material creates a poor appearance in the finished product such as a tag or a label.

With prior art embossing implements it has also been discovered that once the tag label or other embossed item which is to be formed by the hand operated strip embossing implement has been completed and severed from the remainder of the tape housed within the embossing implement, it is difiicult to remove the protective backing from the finished product. The rotective backing has a great tendency to tenaciously adhere to the embossed strip material thus requiring great patience and often the use of a sharp bladed instrument to start the protective backing separating from the tape.

It has also been discovered with prior art embossing implements that the spacing between embossed characters upon the tape sometimes varies depending upon the amount of wear which the embossing implement has been subjected to, or alternativelyupon the amount of slack 3,239,048 Patented Mar. 8, 1966 which has been built into the tape advancing mechanism of the embossing implement at the time of its manufacture. Obviously if the spacing between characters varies on an unpredictable basis, any tag, label or other device made by the embossing implement would not have a pleasing appearance and may in fact even be unuseable if characters are jammed very close together and are thus unreadable.

Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide a hand opera-ted embossing implement in which the die-wheel thereof is not exposed to view, which is streamlined in appareance, and is aesthetically pleasing as compared to such prior art embossing implements.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an embossing implement in which the die-wheel thereof is completely enclosed within and is surrounded by a housing.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an embossing implement in which the characters embossed into the strip embossing material are uniform from character to character and from embossed device to em bossed device, irrespective of the force applied to the implement to efiect embossing of the material.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an embossing implement in which a die-wheel containing more characters than heretofore possible in the prior art can be housed and used without affecting the speed and operation or otherwise the elficiency of embossing strip material.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an embossing implement in which there is provided a cutting mechanism operable to sever the strip material and simultaneously to cut partially therethrough to provide a tab portion to permit easy separation of the protective backing from the strip material after embossing thereof. I

Additional objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which are presented by way of example only and are not intended as a limitation upon the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hand operated embossing implement in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view partly in cross section taken about the lines 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial side plan view with a portion of the housing removed and illustrating the various parts of the embossing implement in a non-operated condition;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3 but illustrating various parts of the embossing implement in opera-ted position;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view taken about the lines 5-5 of FIGURE 3;

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view taken about the lines 6--6 of FIGURE 4;

FIG. 7 is a bottom cross sectional view taken about the lines 77 of FIGURE 3;

FIG. 8 is a rear plan view taken about the lines 8-8 as shown in FIGURES 3 and 7 and illustrate the tape advancing mechanism used in the embossing implement of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a side plan view with a portion of the housing removed to illustrate the tape advancing actuating mechanism of the embossing implement in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a portion of the embossing implement in accordance with the present invention which particularly illustrates the tape cutoff mech' anism; and

FIG. 11 illustrates embossable strip material such as a tape after it has been severed by the tape cutoff mechanism illustrated in FIGURE 10.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention a hand operated embossing implement includes a housing which is defined by a pair of opposed major sidewalls and which includes a. pair of handles extending outwardly therefrom along the longitudinal axis thereof. The handles are movable towards and away from each other. A die-wheel is carried by the housing in such a manner that the axis of rotation thereof is substantially normal to the side Walls of the housings and the longitudinal axis thereof. Such a disposition of the die-wheel thus provides an embossing implement with the die-wheel parallel to the housing as opposed to perpendicular to the housing as has heretofore been the case in the prior art. Anvil means is provided internally of the housing and is actuated by the handles being moved toward each other to slidably engage a predetermined portion of the die-wheel thereby to emboss a preselected character into strip embossing material which is disposed between the male and female portions of the die-wheel.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention there is provided internally disposed within the housing a tape cutoff mechanism which is operable selectively by the handles being moved towards each other and which includes knife means and hammer means relatively movable with respect to each other in such a manner that as the knife and hammer means are brought into contact with a tape disposed therebetween the tape is severed.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIGURE 1 thereof an embossing implement in accordance with the present invention is illustrate-d generally at and includes a housing 11 having a first handle member 12 extending therefrom along the longitudinal axis thereof. A second handle member 13 is pivotally affixed by way of a pivot member to the housing 11 and is arranged in such a manner that the handle members 12 and 13 are in a single grip relationship with each other and are movable towards and away from each other. A cartridge 14 containing an embossable strip medium such as a tape 15 that is constructed of plastic or other embossable material is inserted into the hollow inner portions or recess defined by the first handle member 12 and is retained in place therein by the inwardly protruding key members 16 which mate with depressions 17 formed within the sides of the cartridge 14. The tape 15 is contained within the cartridge 14 in a long flat roll similar to the manner in which a length of ribbon is stored. In this manner substantially more tape can be stored within a cartridge than heretofore has been possible and as a result of the long flat rolls of the tape, the tape does not assume a permanent set as has been the case in the prior art tape cartridges.

The tape 15 is removed from the cartridge as is illustrated and is twisted or rotated through an angle of 90 to be inserted into the hollow inner portion of the pivotal handle portion 13 through the slot 18 provided in the end thereof for that purpose. The tape is then carried longitudinally through the handle member and into the housing 11 where it is embossed as will be described in further detail below.

Positioned upon the housing 11 is a character selector wheel 21 which is movable by the operator to select the character which it is desired to emboss into the tape. An indicia 22 appears upon the top plate of the housing 11 to indicate to the operator the character which has been selected for embossing into the tape. A window 23 is provided in the tape plate 25 of the housing to permit the operator to view the tape and a second indicia 24 is also provided to indicate that point at which the end of the tape should be positioned prior to the commencement of the embossing operation.

As is more clearly seen in FIGURE 2 the housing 11 is defined by opposed major sidewalls 26 and 27 and a front wall 28 in addition to the top wall 25 and its counterpart (not shown to this point). Disposed internally of the housing 11 and rotatably supported therein is a die-wheel means illustrated generally at 31. As is illustrated in FIGURE 2 the die-wheel 31 is disposed so that it is parallel to the sidewalls 26 and 27 of the housing 11 and in such a manner that its axis of rotation is normal thereto. The die-wheel 31 is keyed to the same shaft as the character selector wheel 21, as shown in FIGURE 7, and is turned therewith. A movable anvil 32 is slidably supported within a receiving bracket 33 therefor and functions to impress selected characters into the tape as it is advanced through the die-wheel 31.

The tape advancing mechanism consists of a tape advance drive wheel 34 which is mounted upon a shaft or spindle 35 and a tape advance idler wheel 36 which is mounted upon a shaft or spindle 37. The tape 15 as is illustrated is received between the drive wheel 34 and the idler wheel 36 so that as the drive wheel 34 is moved, as will be more fully explained hereinafter, the tape 15 is advanced. To guide the tape 15 into contact between the drive wheel 34 and the idler wheel 36 the hollow inner portion of the movable handle 13 converges as is illustrated at 38 and 39 to provide a guide surface or passageway thus causing the tape as it travels longitudinally through the inner surface of the handle 13 to be brought into contact with the tape advance mechanism where it is passed between the spaced apart male and female die portions of the die-wheel 31 and then passes outwardly through an opening 41 in front plate 28 of the housing after the tape has been embossed. It should be noted that an imaginary plane formed by the tape 15 intersects the pivot member of the second handle member 13.

After embossment of the tape, so that the label, tag, or other desired product is completed, a tape cutoff mechanism consisting of a knife means 42 and a hammer 43 supported internally of the housing 11 and positioned just inside the opening 41 severs the same from the remaining tape. The precise configuration of the tape cutoff mechanism will be described more fully hereinafter in conjunction with the description of FIG. 10.

As is illustrated in FIG. 3 to which reference is hereby made, the second handle member 13 is pivoted about a pivot member or shaft 45 which is journaled between the sidewalls 26 and 27 of the housing 11 and has an axis substantially normal to the longitudinal axis of the housing. The shaft 45 is disposed intermediate the ends of the handle 13 thus causing a forward portion illustrated generally at 46 of the handle member 13 to be disposed forwardly of the shaft 45, and internally of the housing 11. The forwardly disposed portion 46 of the handle 13 includes a forward end portion 47 and an intermediate portion 48. Resiliently deformable means such as a spring 49 is affixed between the forward end portion 47 and an anchor point 51 affixed to the housing 11 to continuously urge the handle members 12 and 13 away from each other.

' A bar member 52 is pivoted about a shaft 53 and is actuated by movement of the handle 13 toward the handle 12 for purposes of advancing the tape 15 as will be more fully described below.

A tape guide member illustrated generally at 54 includes a pair of spaced apart plates one of which is illustrated at 55 downwardly depending from the inner surface of the top plate 25. The downwardly depending plate members, such as the one illustrated at 55, are spaced apart an amount sufficient to define a passageway aligned with the spaced apart dies to receive and guide the tape 15 into position between the male and female die portions of the die-wheel 31, and outwardly through the opening 41 provided in the front plate member 28 of the housing 11.

By referring to FIG. 5 it is therein seen that the diewheel 31 includes an upper female die plate 56 and a lower spaced male die plate 57. As is well known, the spaced male die plate 57 is segmented so that each character is carried upon a discrete peripheral portion thereof which may individually be moved into engagement with its mating female die part. The additional construction of the die-wheel 31 will not be described in more detail since such is well known in the prior art. The die-wheel 31 and the character selector wheel 21 are journaled upon opposite ends of the common shaft 58 and the key 59 fits within a keyway provided within the die-wheel 31 so that the selector wheel 21 and the diewheel 31 rotate together upon shaft 53 which is journaled within the sidewall 26 of the housing 11. A recess 61 is provided within the sidewall 26 beneath the character selector wheel 21 and receives a resiliently deformable member such as a spring 62 upon which there rests a ball 63. The ball 63 is continuously urged upwardly, as viewed in FIG. 5, into engagement with a hemispherical recess provided on the undersurface of the selector wheel 21. There is provided one such hemispherical surface for each character which can be selected. The spring 62 and the ball 63 therefore operate as a detent mechanism enabling the operator of the embossing implement to be assured that a specific character has in fact been selected and that the die-wheel is properly aligned to emboss the character at the proper point upon the tape.

The anvil receiving bracket 33 has provided in the lower portion thereof a ramp 64 while the anvil 32 has a tapered lower surface 65 which is in contact with the inclined surface of the ramp 64. A resiliently deformable means such as a spring 66 is received within an opening 67 provided in the upper surface of the anvil 32. .The spring 66 is captured between the bottom of the opening 67 and the inner surface of the top plate 25 of the housing in such a manner that the anvil 32 is continuously urged away from the top plate 25 and into contact with the intermediate portion 48 of the forward portion 46 of the handle member 13.

The operation of the embossing portion of the embossing implement of the present invention will be more readily understood by referring to FIGS. 4 and 6 to which reference is now made. In operation, the operator moves the handles 12 and 13 towards each other as indicated by the arrow 68 as a result of pivoting handle 11 about the shaft 45. As handle 11 is pivoted about the shaft 45 it causes the extreme forward end 47 thereof to move upwardly as indicated by the arrow 69. As the extreme forward end 47 of the handle 11 moves upwardly the intermediate portion 48 of the forward portion 46 of the handle 11 also moves upwardly. As the intermediate portion 48 moves upwardly it carries with it the anvil 32 which slides upwardly within the anvil receiving bracket 33. As the anvil 32 slides upwardly or to the right as viewed in FIG. 6, the tapered surface 65 thereof slides along the inclined surface of the ramp 64. As a result of the movement of the intermediate portion 48 of the handle 11, and the inclined surface of the ramp 64 two components of motion are imparted to the anvil 32. One component is to the right as viewed in FIG. 6 while the other component is vertical or upwardly as viewed in FIG. 6. The resultant of these two components of motion cause the anvil 32 to move toward the right and upwardly simultaneously in such a manner that a line defined by a point upon the anvil 32 would be parallel to the inclined surface of the ramp 64 and the anvil moves toward the die-wheel 31 and outwardly from the axis of rotation thereof and an imaginary plane formed by such movement would intersect said axis of rotation. Thus as the anvil moves upwardly and toward the right, as viewed in FIG. 6, the most upwardly protruding point 71 thereof contacts a segmented portion of the male die plate 57 of the die-Wheel 31. As the anvil 32 continues its travel toward the right and upwardly in response to the movement of the intermediate portion 48 of the handle 11 the segmented portion of the male die plate 57 continues to move upwardly and into mating relationship with the female die portion thereof until the anvil has slidably engaged or wiped across the back surface of the segmented portion of the male die plate to 6 thus emboss a character into the tape 15 as is illustrated at 72 in FIG. 4.

From the foregoing description it is thus seen that so long as sufficient effort is exerted by the operator upon the handles 12 and 13, to cause them to move toward each other for the full limit of their travel, a character is embossed within the tape 15 by the sliding or wiping motion exerted by the anvil 32 against the male die plate 57. This sliding or wiping motion is sufficient to cause the segmented portion of the male die plate 57 to travel through its complete arc and into full mating relationship with the female die portion of the die wheel 31, thus causing uniform impressions to be made in the tape 15 irrespective of the force applied to the handles 12 and 13 by the operator.

As is seen in FIG. 6 the limit of travel of the handle 13 during the embossing operation is controlled by the contact of the anvil 32 with the inner surface of a top plate 25 of the housing 11. In this position the spring 66 is fully compressed within the opening 67. Upon the operator releasing the handles 12 and 13, the spring 49, which has been expanded during the preceding operation, contracts thus causing the handles 12 and 13 to move away from each other and back toward the position illustrated in FIG. 3. As this occurs, the intermediate portion 48 of the handle moves back toward the position illustrated in FIG. 5 and the spring 66 moves the anvil down the inclined surface of the ramp 64 and back to the position as illustrated in FIG. 5. As the handles 12 and 13 move away from each other, the tape 15 is advanced by a predetermined amount so that a proper spacing is acquired between the character just embossed and the next successive character to be embossed. This tape advancing sequence occurs automatically simply by carrying out the embossing operation as immediately above described.

The tape advancing mechanism in its operation is illustrated in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 to which reference is here by made. As is illustrated therein the ratchet wheel operating bar 52 is pivoted about a shaft 53 which is journaled between the sidewall 27 of the housing 11 and a post 81 (more clearly seen in FIG. 3). The bar 52 is disposed within a slot 82 formed within the forward portion 46 of the handle 13. A slot 83 is provided within the bar 52 through which the shaft 53 extends. The slot 83 permits longitudinal movement of the bar 52 as well as rotation thereof about the shaft 53. A bearing 84 is inserted within and supported by the forward portion 46 of the handle 11. The bearing 84 is slotted for receiving the bar 52 therethrough for a purpose to be described more fully hereinafter. The bar 52 slides back and forth within the bearing 84 and it is desirable that the bearing 84 be of material not requiring frequent lubrication. Although. any such material may be utilized as is known to the art, preferably the bearing 84 is constructed of Teflon. The bar 52 extends through the slot and at its terminal end engages the teeth of a ratchet wheel 85. The engagement by the end of the bar 52 of the ratchet wheel 85 during the embossing operation of the mechanism as above described turns ratchet wheel 85 which in turn causes advancement of the tape. To ensure that the end of the bar 52 engages the teeth of the ratchet wheel 85 a spring 86 which is ailixed to the bottom wall of the housing 11 by any means such as a screw 87 continuously urges the bar 52 into engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel 85.

As part of the tape advancing mechanism a bevel gear 88 is supported upon shaft 89 and includes a hollow cylindrical portion 88A thereof. A keyway provided within the cylindrical portion 88A of the bevel gear 88 is aligned with a keyway provided in the ratchet wheel 85 (the keyway not being shown) which aligned keyways receive the key 91 upon the shaft 89 to thereby cause rotation of the entire subassembly of the shaft 89, the ratchet wheel 85, and the bevel gear 88 simultaneously. The shaft 39 extends from manual tape advance knob 92 and is retained in place by any keeper type device desired such as a flat headed screw 90.

It is sometimes desirable that the operator advance the tape manually such as for example upon its initially being threaded into the embossing implement into a position so that desired characters can be embossed thereon. For this purpose the manual tape advancing knob 92 is provided. As part of the knob assembly there is provided a spring 93 and a ball 94 supported by the bracket 96 which operate as a detent in conjunction with a series of lands and grooves 95 provided about the inner surface of the knob 92. As the knob 92 is rotated, the detent mech' anism provides a positive positioning thereof so that the tape has been advanced a predetermined amount and at the same time provides an audible clicking noise to indicate to the operator that the tape has been advanced by the predetermined amount.

It is sometimes desirable to reverse the direction of travel of the tape. Under these conditions it is necessary that the bar 52 be removed from its contact with the ratchet wheel 85. To accomplish this removal a manual reverse button 97 is provided at the end of the bar 52 opposite that from the ratchet wheel 85. The button 97 is affixed to a shaft 98 which is journaled within the end of the bar 52 and protrudes through an opening 99 provided in the sidewall 27 of the housing 11. Upon the desire to reverse the direction of travel of the tape the button 97 is pushed toward the left as viewed in FIG. 7 and the knob 92 is turned in such a manner as to reverse the direction of travel of the tape.

The travel of the tape is accomplished by movement of the bevel gear 88 which meshes with a second bevel gear 101 which is affixed to shaft 35 having an axis which is substantially normal to both the longitudinal and pivot member axes and upon which is journaled tape drive wheel 34 as above described.

In operation, as is more clearly seen in FIGURE 9, upon the handle 13 being moved towards the handle 12 the pawl end 105 of the bar 52, which pawl end engages the teeth 106 upon the ratchet wheel 85, is moved upwardly and to the left as viewed in FIG. 9. As it so moves it rides easily over the tooth of the ratchet wheel which it contacts. This operation is accomplished by the bar 52 pivoting about the shaft 53 while at the same time being carried upwardly by the bearing 84. At the end of the travel of the handle 13 the bar 52 occupies the position as indicated by the dotted outline 107 thereof. As the handles 12 and 13 are permitted to travel away from each other the pawl 105 drops downwardly engaging the next upwardly positioned tooth of the ratchet Wheel 85 and as the handle 13 reaches the end of its travel, which is stopped by the top of the post 81, the pawl 105 has moved the ratchet wheel 85 a predetermined distance. As the ratchet wheel 85 moves, the shaft 89 moves therewith since the two are keyed together as illustrated in FIG. 9. The movement of the shaft 89 also moves the bevel gear 88. The movement of the bevel gear 88 in turn moves the bevel gear 101 which causes the tape advance drive wheel 34 to also rotate. Since the tape is engaged by the periphery of the tape drive wheel 34, it advances the tape by a predetermined amount sufficient to properly space the next successive character to be embossed thereon.

After the desired characters have been embossed into the tape so as to provide a label, tag or similar products, it is then required that the tape be severed so the product may be properly used. For this purpose there is provided a cutting mechanism which is illustrated in FIG. 10 to which reference is hereby made.

The cutting mechanism in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention and as illustrated in FIGURE 10 is preferably operable by the operator performing the same function as is performed in embossing the tape.

At the point where it is desired to sever the embossed portion of the tape 15 from the remainder thereof, the operator pushes cutoff control means such as the button 12 shown more clearly in FIGS. 2 and 4. When button 129 is pushed a pin 112 carried by the hammer 43 extends into the housing into an interference relationship with the path of travel of the end 47 of the handle member 13 when handle members 12 and 13 are moved toward each other. The operator at this point moves the handles 12 and 13 toward each other and as is illustrated by the arrow 111 in FIG. 10 when such is accomplished, the end 47 of the handle 13 moves to the right as viewed in FIG. 10. As this occurs the pin 112 extending outward- 13 from the hammer 43 is contacted by the very tip 113 of the end 47 of the handle 13. As force is thus applied to the pin 112 the hammer 43 is caused to rotate about its pivot pin 114 which is journaled within the front wall 28 of the housing 11, thus causing the hammer to press the tape 15 against the knife means 42 which comprises two cutting knives 115 and 116. The cutting knives 115 and 116 have their cutting edges disposed in such a manner that as the hammer 43 moves toward the cutting knives the tape 15 is pressed thereagainst. Cutting knife 115 has its edge extending toward the hammer by an amount clearly sufiicient to completely sever tape 115. The cutting knife 116 on the other hand has its cutting edge recesed slightly as compared to cutting knife 115. The amount of recess is sufiicient to cause severing only of the tape portion of the tape 115, while not severing the protective backing. The tape as thus severed is clearly illustrated in FIG. 11. Strip embossing material such as a tape includes a member for carrying the embossed character such as a rigid vinyl plastic tape 121 having a protective backing member 122 thereon to protect the pressure sensitive adhesive which is upon the back surface of the tape 121. Upon being severed, as above described, the backing member 122 has a slight tab 123 of the tape 121 afiixed thereto but yet severed from the remainder of the tape. The operator then may remove the protective backing by the simple operation of grasping the tab 123 along with the protective backing on the rear surface thereof in one hand and the remainder 121 of the tape in the other and then pull the two apart. At this point the embossed label is ready for application to the desired surface.

There has thus been described an embossing implement which is hand operated and which is aesthetically pleasing in that the die wheel thereof is contained within the housing and is completely and thoroughly encompassed thereby, thus protecting the die-wheel while at the same time permitting ready operation thereof to provide uniformly embossed characters in a strip material such as an embossable tape. Although a single embodiment of an embossing implement in accordance with the present invention has been illustrated in detail in the drawings and described hereinabove, it is to be understood that such was by way of illustration only and not by way of limitation. The scope of the present invention is to be limited only in accordance with the claims apended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A hand operated embossing implement comprising: a housing including a pair of opposed substantially flat side walls and a first elongated handle member extending therefrom; a die-wheel rotatable disposed internally of said housing and having its axis of rotation substantially normal to said side walls; a second elongated handle member pivotally afiixed intermediate its ends to said housing and extending therefrom in a single hand grip relationship with said first handle and having a portion thereof extending into said housing, said second handle member being movable toward and away from said first handle member; bracket mounting means defining a ramp affixed internally of said housing to a side wall thereof disposed oppositely of said die-wheel; and an anvil member defining a tapered surface received within said bracket and which slidably engages said ramp during an embossing operation, said anvil member being in contact with the portion of said second handle extending into said housing and operable in response to movement of said second handle member toward said first handle member to move in a direction toward said die-wheel and outwardly from the axis of rotation thereof.

2. A hand operated embossing implement as defined in claim 1 in which said anvil member further includes resiliently deformable means continuously urging said anvil member into' engagement with said second handle member.

3. A hand operated embossing implement comprising:

(a) housing means including a pair of opposed major sidewalls and a pair of handle members extending in single hand grip relationship along the longitudinal axis of said housing means, one of said handle means being pivotally afiixed to said housing means by a pivot member afi'ixed between said sidewalls and having an axis which is substantially normal to said longitudinal axis of said housing means;

(b) die wheel means affixed rotatively within said housing and having an axis of rotation which is substantially normal to said longitudinal axis of said housing means and substantially parallel to the axis of said pivot member, said die wheel means including opposed spaced apart male and female dies adapted for receiving an embossable member in strip form therebetween, said embossable member, when between said dies, defining an imaginary plane which intersects said axis of said pivot member; and

(c) actuating means atfixed to said housing means and operable by said one handle means being pivoted about its pivot member to selectively bring opposed male and female dies into contact for embossing a desired character on said embossable member.

4. A hand operated embossing implement as definm in claim 3 in which said actuating means moves in a direction outwardly from the axis of rotation of said die wheel means and simultaneously toward said die wheel means.

5. A hand operated embossing implement comprising:

(a) housing means including a pair of opposed major sidewalls and a pair of handle members extending in single hand grip relationship along the longitudinal axis of said housing means, one of said handle means being pivotally affixed to said housing means by a pivot member aflixed between said sidewalls and having an axis which is substantially normal to said longitudinal axis of said housing means;

(b) shaft means rotatably journaled in one of said major sidewalls and having an axis substantially normal to said longitudinal axis of said housing means and substantially parallel to said pivot member axis;

(c) die wheel means afiixed to one end of said shaft internally of said housing means and having opposed male and female dies;

(d) a selector wheel affixed to the other end of said shaft externally of said housing means, said die wheel means being rotated by rotating said selector wheel to selectively position said die wheel for embossing a desired character; and

(e) actuating means affixed to said housing means and operable by said one handle means being pivoted about its pivot member to selectively bring opposed male and female dies into contact for embossing a desired character on said embossable member.

6. A hand operated embossing implement comprising:

(a) housing means including a pair of opposed major sidewalls and a pair of handle members extending in single hand grip relationship along the longitudinal axis of said housing means, one of said handle means being pivotally affixed to said housing means by a pivot member atfixed between said sidewalls and having an axis which is substantially normal to said longitudinal axis of said housing means;

(b) die wheel means affixed rotatively within said housing and having an axis of rotation which is substantially normal to said longitudinal axis of said housing means and substantially parallel to the axis of said pivot member, said die wheel means including opposed spaced apart male and female dies adapted for receiving an embossable member in strip form therebetween, said embossable member, when between said dies, defining an imaginary plane which intersects said axis of said pivot member;

(0) actuating means afiixed to said housing means and operable by said one handle means being pivoted about its pivot member to selectively bring opposed male and female dies into contact for embossing a desired character on said embossable member; and

(d) embossable member guide means afiixed to said housing means rearwardly of the axis of rotation of said die wheel means and defining a passageway aligned with the space between said spaced apart dies and defining an imaginary plane which intersects the axis of said pivot member.

7. A hand operated embossing implement as defined in claim 6 in which said guide means extends into said one of said handle means, the other of said handle means defining a recess for receiving said embossable member, said embossable member after leaving said other handle means and before entering said guide means being rotated through an angle of approximately 8. A hand operated embossing implement comprising:

(a) housing means including a pair of opposed major sidewalls and a pair of handle members extending in single hand grip relationship along the longitudinal axis of said housing means, one of said handle means being pivotally aflixed to said housing means by a pivot member affixed between said sidewalls and having an axis which is substantially normal to said longitudinal axis of said housing means said one handle means being pivotally movable toward and away from the other handle means;

(b) die wheel means afiixed rotatively within said housing and having an axis of rotation which is substantially normal to said longitudinal axis of said housing means and substantially parallel to the axis of said pivot member, said die wheel means including opposed spaced apart male and female dies adapted for receiving an embossable member in strip form therebetween, said embossable member, when between said dies, defining an imaginary plane which intersects said axis of said pivot member;

(c) actuating means aflixed to said housing means and operable by said one handle means being pivoted about its pivot member to selectively bring opposed male and female dies into contact for embossing a desired character on said embossable member; and

(d) embossable member strip advancing means operable when said one handle means moves away from the other handle means and including a strip material drive wheel rotatably journaled on a shaft aflixed to said housing means and having an axis which is substantially normal to both said longitudinal and said pivot member axis, and means connected between said strip material drive wheel and said one handle means for intermittently advancing said embossable material into position between said dies.

9. A hand operated embossing implement as defined in claim 8 in which said strip advancing means further includes first gear means journaled on said shaft and second gear means in engagement with said first gear means and journaled on a second shaft affixed to said housing means at right angles to said shaft carrying said strip drive wheel.

10. A hand operated embossing implement comprising:

(a) housing means including a pair of opposed major sidewalls and a pair of handle members extending in single hand grip relationship along the longitudinal axis of said housing means, one of said handle means being pivotally afiixed to said housing means by a pivot member afiixed between said sidewalls and having an axis which is substantially normal to said longitudinal axis of said housing means, said one handle means being pivotally movable toward and away from the other handle means;

(b) shaft means rotatably journaled in one of said major sidewalls and having an axis substantially normal to said longitudinal axis of said housing means and substantially parallel to said pivot member axis;

(0) die wheel means affixed to one end of the said shaft internally of said housing means and including 0pposed spaced apart male and female dies;

(d) a selector wheel afiixed to the other end of said shaft externally of said housing means, said die wheel means being rotated by rotating said selector wheel to selectively position said die wheel for embossing a desired character;

(e) actuating means aifixed to said housing means and operable by said one handle means being pivoted about its pivot member to selectively bring opposed References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,979,179 4/1961 Anglim et a1 1976i7 3,006,451 10/1961 Souza 197--6.7 3,091,319 5/1963 Sanders et al 1976.7 3,129,800 4/1964 Bogeaus 197-6.7 3,133,495 5/1964 De Man l976.7 3,155,215 11/1964 Avery 197-6.7

ROBERT E. PULFREY, Primary Examiner. 

3. A HAND OPERATED EMBOSSING IMPLEMENT COMPRISING: (A) HOUSING MEANS INCLUDING A PAIR OF OPPOSED MAJOR SIDEWALLS AND A PAIR OF HANDLE MEMBERS EXTENDING IN SINGLE HAND GRIP RELATIONSHIP ALONG THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID HOUSING MEANS, ONE OF SAID HANDLE MEANS BEING PIVOTALLY AFFIXED TO SAID HOUSING MEANS BY A PIVOT MEMBER AFFIXED BETWEEN SAID SIDEWALLS AND HAVING AN AXIS WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY NORMAL TO SAID LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID HOUSING MEANS; (B) DIE WHEEL MEANS AFFIXED ROTATIVELY WITHIN SAID HOUSING AND HAVING AN AXIS OF ROTATION WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY NORMAL TO SAID LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID HOUSING MEANS AND SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF SAID PIVOT MEMBER, SAID DIE WHEEL MEANS INCLUDING OPPOSED SPACED APART MALE AND FEMALE DIES ADAPTED FOR RECEIVING AN EMBOSSABLE MEMBER IN STRIP FORM THEREBETWEEN, SAID EMBOSSABLE MEMBER, WHEN BETWEEN SAID DIES, DEFINING AN IMAGINARY PLANE WHICH INTERSECTS SAID AXIS OF SAID PIVOT MEMBER; AND (C) ACTUATING MEANS AFFIXED TO SAID HOUSING MEANS AND OPERABLE BY SAID ONE HANDLE MEANS BEING PIVOTED ABOUT IT PIVOT MEMBER TO SELECTIVELY BRING OPPOSED MALE AND FEMALE DIES INTO CONTACT FOR EMBOSSING A DESIRED CHARACTER ON SAID EMBOSSABLE MEMBER. 